The Opening 2015: Results, Rankings, Highlights and Reaction from Wednesday

Football season is right around the corner, and the folks at Nike in Beaverton, Oregon, are providing fans with a small glimpse of the future at The Opening 2015, which showcases many of the nation's top college recruits all gathered in one space. 

Tuesday was all about quarterbacks at the Elite 11 competition, while Wednesday put everyone else on center stage in various workouts and events to showcase their skills. A total of 166 players making up six teams have converged on Oregon to show what the recruiting talents for the next couple of years look like. 

SPARQ Test Results     

Since this event is a measure not just of skills, but a combination of speed and strength, the field of 166 was whittled down to 10 players who competed for the title of nation's best. Here was the final group that went at it, per The Opening:

According to Nike's official website, the SPARQ test measures speed in the 40-yard dash and 20-yard shuttle run as well as leg power in the vertical jump and upper-body strength with a kneeling powerball toss. 

The vertical jump was USC commit Josh Imatorbhebhe's time to shine, as this video from B/R's Damon Sayles shows:

While that may have been the agility highlight of the day, there's still nothing like a good old-fashioned 40-yard dash. Defensive back Nigel Knott was the star of that event, per Lindsey Thiry of the Los Angeles Times:

However, neither Imatorbhebhe nor Knott would have enough in the four events to overcome the total score of 149.49 posted by Donovan Peoples-Jones. 

Peoples-Jones is a 5-star wide receiver and 23rd-ranked player in the 2017 recruiting class. He was right behind Knott in the 40 with a 4.42 time and added 42.4 inches on the vertical jump. 

Even though a lot of the field this year was comprised of 2016 recruits, Peoples-Jones has given the 2017 group early bragging rights with his victorious performance in the SPARQ rating championship. 

Wednesday's Overall Reaction

Today was a day for explosive athletes and powerful defensive linemen to show off their assorted skills. It was a good showing for those players, who serve as the foundation for teams once they find a quarterback. 

Starting with the powerful defensive linemen, particularly tackles, Michigan State fans got a glimpse of what incoming recruit Mike Panasiuk can do on a bench press, per Rico Beard of Detroit Sports 105.1:

Fear not, Spartans fans, as Allen Trieu of Scout.com noted, Panasiuk put that upper-body strength to good use against offensive linemen:

Defensive tackle Rashan Gary, who is the No. 1 overall recruit for 2016, made quite an impression on Wednesday. 

Here's what Gary did to the nation's No. 2 center prospect, Drake Jackson, in one-on-one drills, per ESPN's Tom VanHaaren:

Gary also had his hands full later on, going against the nation's second-ranked recruit for 2016, Gregory Little, also per VanHaaren:

That's what makes these events so crucial to recruiting. It's nice to have talent in one spot to look at, seeing how these young players match up against each other with so many eyeballs on them and observing their every little move. 

Most of the top programs in the country are still pursuing Gary, as Chris Kirschner of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution noted the New Jersey native plans to take visits with SEC powers Georgia, Mississippi, LSU, Alabama and Auburn this month. 

However, B/R national recruting analyst Tyler Donohue thinks Gary will ultimately land with a Big Ten program:

Gary doesn't seem in any hurry to make up his mind, nor should he be with so many programs still looking to dote on him. He's got plenty of time to decide which school is the best fit for his skills and development. 

In April, Gary told VanHaaren in an article on ESPN.com that he's got a plan for his decision. 

“I’m either going to decide on signing day or the Under Armour All-America Game," Gary said. "I haven’t decided that yet. ... The goal is to have my top five or top seven by my first game of the season.”

After seeing what Gary could do, Barton Simmons of 247Sports had nothing but rave reviews for the young lineman:

"

The get-off, we already knew about. The guy is a 4.8 40-yard dash kid and one of the most athletic defensive linemen we've seen in years but when he explodes off the line of scrimmage, he then has the hand strength and power to jolt offensive linemen and beat them with leverage and power.

"

One player who doesn't have to worry about what school he will attend is Jacob Eason, who is the No. 3 overall prospect in 2016 and already committed to Georgia. All he had to do was show off the arm strength and accuracy that make him so highly regarded. 

Fortunately, as this video from Donohue shows, Eason delivered:

Eason isn't visible in that video, which doesn't provide context for his throwing mechanics, but at least the sense of his ability to place a ball where it needs to go in a critical moment shows up on this completed pass. 

In a battle of speed vs. speed, featuring one of the nation's top running backs against a top linebacker, Travis Homer took the title over Lyndell Wilson, per Donohue:

It was not hard to find one-one-one battles between recruits that had a lot to offer. There was so much insane talent on the field Wednesday, highlighted by the Gary and Jackson, that football coaches and fans have many reasons to be thrilled with the incoming crop of players. 

The pressure is on skill players Thursday with the finals beginning, which includes seven-on-seven tournaments and Elite 11 finals. Fear not, as the trench wars will also continue with the offensive line vs. defensive line final five. 

Recruiting rankings and information courtesy of 247Sports unless otherwise noted.